Today I had the pleasure of running an opening session of Dungeon World for three of my teens.

Today I had the pleasure of running an opening session of Dungeon World for three of my teens. We ended up with a thief, a druid, and a wizard.

I must say, Dungeon World exceeded my expectations. I’ve played Monsterhearts and had been anxious to try DW. The kids, who’d had some experience with D&D before, all remarked that they liked it more. 

The thief player said he enjoyed creating a world together, and he came up with some great stuff. He lives in a barn unbeknownst to the farmer who owns it. He steals his breakfast every morning and spends his days training in secret in the cornfield or helping Farmer Dodge. He took the name of the farm after his mom was killed in a battle ten years ago. Detail after detail poured out of him. I’m very proud of him.

The druid enjoyed it a lot too. He chose the druid and spent a lot of time shapeshifting, making inventive use of the ability. He became a bear, a wolf,  an owl, and a scorpion. He had the wizard fling him at an onrushing bandit. Pure awesome sauce.

The wizard sat at the table, interested in what we were doing. She decided to join us and had a great time. She spent a lot of time going invisible and speaking telepathically with the thief who was scouting ahead. She asked if we’d be paying again soon, so I think I’ve got a convert. I think she’d like to know who’s whispering in her head things like “I see you” when she’s invisible and “I would run if I were you!”

I had a lot of fun too. I did have some trouble GM’ing moves that involved things like hard bargains. I did get the hang of it over time, though.

The wizard player thought the map was cool. Pictured is the wet-erase battle-mat I bought years ago, and I’d never used it before. The ability to draw maps on it helped get everyone focused on the game. I drew a broad map of the region as the players came up with details, and some tactical maps as well during our orc and bandit battles. I think miniatures are in order if this becomes a regular thing.